The viral video of music mega-star Jay-Z chatting up an older woman — who initially has no notion of who he is — during a New York City subway ride was a charming diversion for a Wednesday afternoon.

The woman, 67-year-old artist Ellen Grossman, realizes the young man sitting next to her is “somebody” since he is surrounded by bodyguards and came in with a whoosh of fans.

He introduces himself as “Jay,” and their conversation is engaging, polite, ordinary and humble, which are among the reasons it has attracted so much attention.

Grossman recognized Jay-Z’s name when he revealed it, but it wasn’t until later she realized how big a star he is.

“I’ve become much more aware of what he’s done and who he is,” Grossman said, according to The Washington Post. “And as I checked him out, I realized, how embarrassing that I didn’t know who he was! There were all these photographers and a crowd of happy people around him, and security people. So it sort of dawned on me as I was looking around that he was someone famous.”

Vincent Carroll is The Denver Post's editorial page editor. He has been writing commentary on politics and public policy in Colorado since 1982 and was originally with the Rocky Mountain News, where he was also editor of the editorial pages until that newspaper gave up the ghost in 2009.

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To reach the Denver Post editorial page by phone: 303-954-1331

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